Brian Haberman was arrested on Oct. 7 by members of ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit, with assistance from Blackfalds RCMP and Red Deer RCMP.

Haberman allegedly travelled to Pennsylvania to have sex with a 16-year-old girl he met online. A search of computers and electronic devices seized from Haberman’s home found evidence of sexually explicit photos of the victim, who was apparently 15 years old when the relationship began.

The investigation was initiated in March 2015 after ALERT received a referral from Cybertip.ca. Cybertip is Canada’s tipline for reporting the online sexual exploitation of children.

“Society has a collective responsibility to protect children, and I urge anyone with information about children being sexually offended or preyed upon to report it. Your information could rescue a child from abuse,” said Staff Sgt. John Guigon.

Haberman is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 16 to face charges of child luring; making sexually explicit material available to a minor; possessing child pornography; accessing child pornography and making child pornography.

ALERT is still in the preliminary stages of the investigation, and it is possible there are additional victims. Anyone with information about this investigation, or any child exploitation offence is encouraged to contact police or cybertip.ca.

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime. Members of Alberta Sheriffs, Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, Lethbridge Regional Police Service, Medicine Hat Police Service, and RCMP work in ALERT.